Allen High grad Kyle Kostic has been boosted by community in his fight against cancer

Kyle Kostic (Left) shown in this 1998 photo with five of his Allen High School football teammates -- #60, Matt Baatz, #54, Jed Ande, #2, Tony Miller #66, Aren Jodock, amd #8, Deante Coleman, is battling lymphoma. He has been boosted by the support he has received from friends, family and the entire community. Friday May 8,1998. (Denise Sanchez/TMC) ***ED NOTE: To go with Groller neighbors story. (DENISE SANCHEZ / TMC)

As a student-athlete at Allen High School, Kyle Kostic was the kind of kid coaches like Kevin Ronalds and Doug Snyder loved having around.

Former Allen basketball assistant Mark Smurda said of Kostic: "Kyle is truly one of a kind. He is such a genuine, honest and caring individual. I was so blessed to know him as a player and then as a coach when he helped out with our Allen JVs. Kyle has the heart of a lion and the gentle caring spirit of a lamb."

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Now 34, Kostic is again in a position to show the toughness and competitiveness of a kid while also demonstrating the poise, wisdom and grace of a wise old man.

Kostic, you see, is fighting for his life.

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The 1998 Allen graduate has been diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma and has already begun extensive treatment. He has had 15 radiation treatments and is scheduled for his second chemotherapy session.

"I went to a specialist and they found a growth on my neck," Kostic said. "They found it to be a swollen lymph node. I had a biopsy and a scan and they found out it was cancerous. The reason my ear was hurting was that the lymph node was swollen and pressing on my ear. During the scan they found out that the cancer had spread to my other lymph node around my neck and the back of my throat."

Kostic went to several hospitals to research the best form of treatment.

"My doctor said that because I'm so young and I don't have any risk factors because I don't drink or smoke, he's confident that once my treatment is complete I will make a full recovery," Kostic said.

"I asked him why do I have cancer? I go to the gym every day, I don't drink, I don't smoke. Why me? And he looked at me and said, 'You just have bad luck.' I'll never forget that. As soon as he gave me the news, my mind just turned to what do I have to do to get better."

Kostic said he'll use his background in sports to give him the inner strength to keep battling.

"In sports, you have a long-term goal and you break it down into short-term goals and you keep working at it and working at it," he said. "That's what teams do. That's what athletes do. I will use my sports background to prepare me for this battle."

Kostic's family has created a GoFundMe account — www.gofundme.com/kylekostic — so people can contribute to assist him in his fight. As of Monday, more than $13,000 had been raised.

"It has been overwhelmingly humbling to see how people have come together to help," he said. "I'm so very thankful. All of the emails and calls I have received from people who care has touched me. It has been heartwarming to me for so many in the community to come together in such a positive way."

Kostic, whose son, Koi, just graduated from Allen and whose daughter, Maecee, 10, is a rising basketball star, is always thinking of others.

"I've really tried to make the world a better place and I've believed in moving forward and keeping living," he said. "Although I have cancer, I'm trying to stay happy and positive every day and I want everybody else to do the same. I'm going to be OK, I'm going to persevere and I want everybody to keep going as well. I have always tried to be good for the world and I want the world to be better for my kids, my family, everybody."

"This is an all-around amazing experience for me going up against the national teams from Taiwan, Korea, Iran, Philippines and Japan," Hall said. "There is a club team from Russia and also from New Zealand representing those countries. This is the biggest tournament in Asia."

Hall said six of the nine USA team members who are doing most of the playing are in the 31-39 age group and played 10 to 15 years of professional basketball.

"So it's great to be able to learn from them," he said. "I'm rooming with Keith Closs, a former Los Angeles Clipper who is 7-foot-3 and the NCAA's all-time leading shot blocker, so I'm taking in all the advice he is giving me.

"There's a lot of talent in this tournament. Ha Seun-Jin, a 7-foot-3 center for Korea, played in the NBA. Hammad Haddadi is a 7-foot-2 center from Iran who played in the NBA. Yuta Tabuse is a guard from Japan who played for the Suns and Mavericks and many other professionals have played all over the world. Eric Devendorf from Syracuse is on the New Zealand team."

He had 10 points and 10 rebounds against Japan, going 5-for-5 from the field; 14 points and 14 rebounds, going 3-for-3 from beyond the 3-point line against Taiwan, and 19 points and nine rebounds against Korea. He also had six points and three rebounds in 16 minutes in a win over Iran. It was Iran's only loss in the tournament.

As noted on the Rider website, Kayla was a field hockey player at Indiana University before transferring to Temple to play soccer. Last year she was Temple's second-leading goal scorer and third in points.

Kourtney began her collegiate career by scoring two goals in Rider's 3-2 win at Mount St. Mary's.